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The only problem with this report is that gene smith is an idiot. If that wasn't the case I'd be sold. As it stands, and someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, he remains an idiot and I can't put 100% faith in what he says. For once I hope he's right.

Shirley you can't be serious. Either you give up The Game (not happening), or we're stuck with playing a way harder schedule than the rest of the West. Being Champions of the (actual) West isn't worth it.

I think it's equally as difficult as the East and I want us to stay in separate divisions. I actually like the idea of playing Ohio back to back at the end of the year. I'm probably in the minority on that one, but that's just my opinion. NEG AWAY.

The question isn't whether our division is harder than the other division is; everyone in the division has to play the same teams. In fact, I'd be just fine with having the six best teams in the conference in our division and making the championship game a cakewalk every year. The issue is that we would have to play OSU every year, while everyone else would have to play significantly easier protected rivalries. This puts us at a competitive disadvantage if we want to keep playing our rivalry game.

On playing OSU twice: I'm open to the idea in and of itself. But in a lot of years, Michigan and/or OSU have already won their divisions, so the (first) Game would meaningless. Think of Oregon/Stanford. Or think of marriage: if it's so great, why don't you want to do it twice? Maybe because the fact that it only happens once (hopefully) is part of what makes it so special.

I think it's equally as difficult as the East and I want us to stay in separate divisions. I actually like the idea of playing Ohio back to back at the end of the year. I'm probably in the minority on that one, but that's just my opinion. NEG AWAY.

I like the thought of playing them twice. Not sure why others wouldn't want to see the greatest rivalry in sports played twice if possible. Plus, if we lose to them in the regular season game we get a chance at redemption. I can't believe people wouldn't want to see those 2005 teams go at it again a week after Crable's late hit. The problem is Brian wants them in the same division so the lemmings on here tend to follow what ever he says. I love Brian and this blog but I don't agree with every thought he has

While it's true that websites tend to promote a herd mentality, Brian doesn't have some obscure minority viewpoint here. The vast majority of people I've spoken to - regardless of whether they visit this site or even root for Michigan - think the idea of playing Ohio on back to back weeks is crazy. It will make the first, on-campus game meaningless. You have to remember, that second game won't be played on campus. It will be played in a domed NFL stadium in front of a corporate crowd. It will not be the same. Worse yet, the first game isn't going to mean as much, either, if both teams have clinched their divisions already.

It's also a safe bet that the league will get sick of having back-to-back games very soon. It's very likely that the league will insist on all November games being intradivisional. That means no more Game on the final week of November, if we're in separate divisions. If we're in separate divisions, the Game will be moved to October - count on it.

And then there is the problem of competitive balance. If we're playing Ohio every year as our protected rivalry game while MSU is playing IU, Nebraska is playing a probation-weakened PSU and Iowa is playing Purdue, that puts us at a big disadvantage in the division standings. If we're going to be playing Ohio every year, we need to be in the same division.

Mark my words - if/when Michigan and OSU actually do play on back-to-back weeks (which may well happen in 2013) - you'll hate it. Maybe as a hypothetical it doesn't seem that bad. But when we celebrate winning the Game only to realize that we've got to do it again the next week (and this time, against Meyer's full starting lineup), that will suck, hard. If we lose the rematch, it'll be like the game in the Big House didn't even matter.

While we're making unbalanced divisions (6 in the east, 8 in the west), why don't we just send Maryland and Rutgers to the other division (because obviously), Michigan State to the other division (because lil' brother shouldn't sit at the grown-ups table), and heck, let's just send Penn State to the other one too. Michigan plays OSU 7 times, and the winner of the best-of-seven faces the winner of the Little Eightish in the championship game.

I was just going to comment in this thread about State, but you totally beat me to it. I still can't believe MSU wants to be in the West. .... makes no sense... I guess they better hope there's a cross division rival still calculated into it. I mean, have we ever not played Sparty since we've both been in the Big Ten?

Makes total sense. They know that in a division that includes Michigan and Ohio, they will have little to no chance of ever advancing to the B1G championship game. In the West, they will only have to contend with Nebraska, which as a program recruits much closer to their level.

UM's large eastern alumni base is a selling point for televising Big Ten games in the New Jersey area. I believe UM also has a significant alumni base in DC as well. It makes sense to place your premier teams in the same division as the two recently added out-of-region teams.

I'm cool with this, because although I'll miss playing (actual) Big Ten teams like Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota for the jug, it essentially means that if we beat Penn State and Ohio we can cakewalk our way to winning the division.

I would be okay with that. The possibility of playing MSU twice sits a lot better with me than playing Ohio twice. It's a midseason game as it is, and it probably wouldn't happen as often as Ohio rematches would.

I also like that West division. I really like Michigan playing State, Nebraska, Iowa, Wiscy, and Northwestern. That's how it should be. I also understand that the East in this picture is total crap. I wish we could replace Marland and Rutgers with USC and Texas. (Or almost anyone else...)

Never had a chance...hence why the conference made it only one of two options on a survey administered to the public. Nice logic.

We're not talking about sending the Nebraska Cross-Country team to Piscataway more often over the course of a decade - rather establishing competitive balance in the one sport that would rely on a divisional model.

The two of you apparently missed the "right or wrong" and "not arguing it's merits" bits? All I know is my first thought was "not a chance". Then I seen how popular the idea was and read all of the arguments about why it was such a good idea and my only thought was 'not a chance". Call it coincidence if you like, but it looks like it won't be happening and this is my unsurprised face.

It never had a chance of happeneing. If the B1G made devisions based solely on competative balance the debate would never end because all schools are up and down competatively. They also said they can't use geographical names for the divisions unless they are actually geographically aligned. There was never any chance for the inner outer idea. I never bothered reading about its merits..I took 1 look at the map and knew it would never happen.

I'm not saying that geography SHOULD (sorry, don't know how to format for italics) be an issue. I'm saying that it's a deal killer for the inner/outer model even if only as a misguided matter of perception ("right or wrong" etc).

Sorry - not buying the "Gene Smith is an idiot" meme at all. In the past two years he's managed to dodge any significant NCAA investigation into what sure looks like fairly massive and widespread extra benefits being given to his players, told the NCAA there were no violations and they bought it, avoided any real sanctions when the shit did sort-of hit the fan and then managed to replace a beloved coach with an even more beloved coach all the while seeing his football team go undefeated.

I wish we had an "idiot" like Gene Smith in charge of our Athletic Department when Stretchgate was unfolding. My guess is that Smith would've told the Freep to go f themselves and banned them from the facility forever.

It would work if there isn't a second school in the state to shower with love like the Freep does with MSU. Here in Ohio it's Buckeye's or bust and if Smith banished reporters from any of the fishwraps the readers would go insane.

And not at Gene Smith. Trust me - around here OSU puts up with no bullshit from the media unlike Michigan worry about making the Free Press mad at them.

Nope, I think you win. And, now that you point that out, my perspective has completely reversed because wasn't it Gene Smith who oversaw a huge collegiate cash-and-benefits-for-pay-compromising-our-athletes-amateur-status scandal and managed to get by with a slap on the wrist? So, he's actually a genius.

There should be two divisions: Michigan + OSU in one, and the other 12 teams in the other. Winner of the The Game plays in the Big Ten Championship every year against the best team from the rest of the bunch.

Obviously joking, but with OSU off of probation I bet that UM or OSU is in the title game at least 80% of the time anyway. My suggestion just cuts out all the bodybag games against Maryland and Indiana.

The "Big Two and Little Eight" was the '70s. In the '90s there was PSU and Wisconsin in the mix (as well as Northwestern and Iowa at times). Wisconsin went to as many Rose Bowls that decade (three) as we did, and more than Ohio did.

There was actually an article in The Toledo Blade yesterday which mentioned in passing that Smith was in favor of the idea. The article also mentions some of the bits and pieces of conference realignment mentioned in various threads here, including the potential for November night games and the expansion of the conference schedule as soon as 2016 potentially.

Smith seems to imply that Brandon is also on board with Michigan and Ohio State being in the East division as well:

""That's where I’m leaning, and that's where I think [Michigan athletic director] Dave Brandon is leaning. We always go into these meetings listening to what's best for the league, but our preference at this time is to be in the same division."

Do we need a weekly update on what pretty much everyone and their brother knows is going to happen with the football division re-alignment? Yet another Genie Wenie Smith update on division re-alignment? Come on man!

Unless the BIG football goes to a north vs. south alignment, it makes no sense to split up OSU and UofM. Frankly, a stricit East vs. West alignment would pretty much make everyone happy, even NW if RU is their protected rivialry game; since they want an East coast presence. All this is poopycock until we add two more teams anyway.

How about a thread when the divisions are re-aligned, and then we can all bitch and moan about how stupid the AD's and Delaney are for not doing it "your way". Until then, who cares!

East/West is probably the endgame (the Eye was always little more than a dream) and makes for competitive balance and, I believe, gives us an advantage in recruiting the OH-PA-DC areas that will benefit our program.

We are losing our ND annual rivalry, and I'm happy to see the Staee rivalry switch to being a once-every-three-years-or-so thing. NO PROTECTED CROSSOVERS, PLEASE.

Question. If something were to happen where Michigan wasn't able to have a protected cross division game with Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug would you be disappointed with the realingment? Its pretty much been one-sided with UM owning the trophy game.

Can't say that was super-deliberate though, as far as I see it. The East has Florida and Georgia, two traditionally very strong programs, just as the west has Alabama and kind of LSU. It just happens to be that the West is really really good right now. This too shall pass.

OTOH, the Big Ten East?) will have the two unquestioned best teams in the league, and it's probably going to continue that way. The west has Nebraska, but it's still a much less historically-balanced setup than the SEC in my opinion.

Not that I'm saying that the Big Ten East as proposed would be a bad idea; I rather like it. Just saying that it's not analogous to the SEC.

Actually, the power structure of the SEC has gone back and forth between the divisions. In the 1990s, with Spurrier at Florida and Fulmer (when he was still a good coach) at Tennessee, the East was definitely the stronger of the two.

The SEC didn't worry about competitive balance. It simply tried to keep all the rivalries contained within the divisions and let the competitive side of things work itself out.

Picture this: michigan is ranked 3 in nation ohio state is ranked 1. Mich beats osu the last week of season. The rematch mich is 1 vs osu which is now 7,ohio state wins now michigan and ohio state are out of the bcs championship game picture and possibly the playoffs when it starts. But if they in the same division both teams can make the playoffs under the same circumstances.

I’m kind of hoping the B1G goes to 18 or 20 now. At first I was against going beyond 16 team’s (just felt like anything more than 16 was too much, and I wanted a 4 division pod system) but now I’m hoping they can just add 4 or 6 more ACC team’s and move UM,MSU and OSU, to the West. At 16 with UM and OSU in the East it’s going to be very unbalanced.

"...he's managed to dodge any significant NCAA investigation into what sure looks like fairly massive and widespread extra benefits being given to his players..."

Very interesting. Your indications of this would be, what, exactly? If "massive" multiple sources would be all over it. If "widespread" even the Chengelis's of the halt, lame and lazy sporting press would be on it. I don't see that happening.

Seriously, I'd like to know what these "massive and widspread" extra benefits are and to whom?

Cars to both players and players families for starters. "Jobs" up here in Cleveland that they never showed up for. Tattoos. Lots and lots of free tatoos. Golden handshakes between Youngstown boosters and players. Access to team facilities and game day preferred seats to friends and family of prized recruits like Pryor.

There is some serious competitve imbalance with us, PSU and Ohio in one division. PSU will be back and it looks like Meyer will have Ohio being a big time power. Sparty could run a program that's a significant step below ours and be in the title game as often or more.